Kobe Bryant's former teammate Sasha Vujacic sees Mamba in Luka Doncic 

Sasha Vujačić is loved and respected by Lakers faithful: the two free throws he knocked down to clinch the 2010 NBA Finals earned him a place in Lakers lore.

Vujačić has seen Kobe Bryant up close and personal, having spent six seasons (2004-10) as Bryant’s teammate and winning a pair of NBA titles.

On a recent appearance on the "Out the Mud" podcast, Tony Allen asked the two-time champion his thoughts on Luka Dončić, whom he called “incredible.”

Vujačić continued by saying that Luka is slightly reminiscent of arguably the greatest Laker of all time.

“Marc Stern or somebody called me and they are like ‘What do you think of him?’ I said, I’ll be honest, I watch him play and he might be the only one that reminds me a little bit more than anyone else of Kobe."

Vujačić adds:

"The reason being, that he plays with a smile, he understands the geometry on the basketball court very well, and he's talented. But there is something in his eyes that when he plays the game of basketball is just that killer.

"That killer thing that he has, he can smell blood like Kobe always said, ‘I can smell blood.’ He is still young but I think he's got something of my big brother (within him)."

Vujačić seemed to think that Dončić, who, along with Kyrie Irving, just led the Dallas Mavericks on a finals run last season, will raise multiple Larry O’Brien trophies in his future

"He's special, he's definitely special and if he stays on the right path, there's quite a few championships in his future."

After a mediocre start following the trade, Dončić has seemingly started to find his footing with the purple and gold. His overall numbers with the Lakers were 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists, resembling his pre-trade numbers he put up in Dallas of 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.1 assists.

Over his last five games, he has averaged 30.4 points, 6.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds on .495/.431/.868 shooting splits. The Lakers went 3-2 over that span, including a 126-99 drubbing of the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder and Luka’s 45-point masterpiece in a 112-97 win over the Mavericks in his first game back in Dallas.

The time Sasha Vujačic tried to impress Kobe Bryant

Sasha Vujačić’s hard work and determination, and his shooting ability, shaped him into the player the Los Angeles Lakers took with the 27th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft.

Eager to make a good impression on his new team and his superstar teammate, he arrived at the gym at 5 AM, only to discover that he had been beaten to the gym by Kobe Bryant, who was already in the midst of an intense workout.

Vujačić recalled the story on the "Out the Mud" podcast:

"He probably got up at like 4:00 because he was in the gym at 5:00. I got to the gym at 5:00 and I'm like, Kobe?" Sasha shared. "Like, I'm the rookie — I got to prove myself. I got to do this. I got to play. I can't play defense, all that stuff.

"So you just lock yourself in the gym and just kind of go at it. But then when you see Kobe, you're like, 'Wow.' He's the franchise player. He already won. And he wants to keep going."

Vujačiċ talked about Kobe’s inextinguishable desire to be the best, but also that he embraced the process of doing the work to bring that to fruition.

"With Kobe — it was that obsession with being the greatest. I think he achieved that. Because there was never enough. There was just that extra mile he wanted to take," Sasha remarked. "Everybody can find that Mamba Mentality within themselves — it's the hero within you. But are you willing to do that? Not many will."

That eye-opening experience at that gym in the early morning was his introduction to the Mamba Mentality and the level of dedication mandated to be an all-time great.

Vujačić enjoyed a 10-year NBA career with the Lakers, Nets, Clippers and Knicks, winning two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010.